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Field of the Invention
The Technical Field of this application is that of ergonomic workplace furniture and equipment, specifically related to an adjustable, but very stable multiple-shelf stand to support computer accessories for use by workers while they are standing.
I am the inventor of this two shelf computer accessory stand. I have a college degree as an engineer, and I have worked in the office on computers since 1985.
Over the last 29 years, I began to slowly but steadily gain weight, to a large part due to sitting in my chair many hours at work each day while working on the computer.
Working in offices at various companies over the years I have also had problems with occasional neck, back, arm, and wrist pain and discomfort, due to the desks, computer monitors, and keyboards not being ergonomically best positioned to reduce such strain.
To seek to reduce user discomfort and to burn more calories, I decided to get out of my chair and try standing up while working on my computer, so that I could occasionally flex my back muscles, move my legs, flex my back, and shift my weight between my feet while also working on my computer keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
So I went to large local retail stores which sell computer equipment and asked their representatives to sell me a computer stand I could set on my desk to use the computer while standing upright. None of the stores I checked offered any such product for sale, and the sales representatives seemed surprised at my request.
Then, not being able to purchase such a computer accessory stand, I made a crude prototype to test my theory that standing up is better for me, the computer user, than sitting down. I took some empty cardboard boxes and taped them together to arrange a temporary platform with the right dimensions, to place on my work desk at the right height for my needs. Then I placed my laptop computer on top of this cardboard box platform and while standing I began using my laptop computer, placed on top of the cardboard box platform.
I found that I was satisfied with the keyboard height and preferred to work while standing up, using the laptop on top of this early prototype cardboard platform. However, while using the laptop my neck was constantly titled downward at an uncomfortable angle, leading to some neck strain.
So, I decided to build a wooden prototype two shelf computer accessory stand following the design shown in FIG. 1 and began to use it in 2012. The top platform supports the computer monitor directly in front of my face in the right position, so that I can work on the computer and view the monitor while maintaining good erect posture, looking straight forward without tilting my neck up or down at an uncomfortable angle. I have used this two shelf computer accessory stand prototype ever since, and prefer to perform computer work while standing. This standing posture makes me feel more alert and less sluggish while working on the computer multiple hours per day. I also have less aches and pains while still spending a lot of time working on my computer.
Background Art
Currently, there are specialized computer desks designed for use while standing, treadmills modified to use computers while exercising, and complex adjustable computer accessory stands with supports stabilized by springs and counter weights.
However, there are no two shelf computer accessory stands with a broad base, simply designed to be set upon an existing office desk or table, with firm, stable vertical cylindrical supports providing comfort and stability for the worker's use while he or she is standing. Simple vertical cylindrical supports provide more stability, much less vibration and erratic motion, and more comfortable and more productive platforms for the worker's use than do complex supports consisting of cantilevers, springs, and counterweights. This simple system is also less expensive to manufacture and sell, making it more likely to be purchased by companies and individual consumers, with the potential of changing the paradigm of office work from the sedentary, unhealthy seated norm to a new more healthy standing alternative.